Silent Alarm

Silent AlarmWritten by Jennifer Banash


Setting

When a shooting happens the media and society focuses solely on the shooter, which is logical. But what they never think about is the shooter’s family. In the book Silent Alarm Jennifer Banash talks about a school shooting, from the point of view of the shooter’s sister. The story takes place in a small town, Plainewood, Wisconsin. The setting was perfectly chosen because it made the sister’s, whose name is Alys Aronson, life harder. It made the story more personal because all the characters knew each other.

 

Characters

The main character Alys is a very strong and clearly necessary character. Throughout the book she struggles with what her brother, Luke did. She struggles with her parents getting blamed for her brother’s actions, losing her best friend and boyfriend, and her relationship with her brother even though he killed himself. Banash focuses less on the shooting and more on the aftermath of it. She really brings the reader into the eyes of the character and pulls them into the story. Alys grows as a character throughout the book and the reader will feel like they are growing with her.

 

Bad Points

There were not very many bad parts of this book, although I did not really like the beginning. I found it boring and I had a hard time reading the rest of the book because of it, it was worth it though. Once the reader gets past the beginning the book is intriguing and worth it. Banash makes the story interesting from after the beginning to the end of the book.

 

Ending

The ending is quite heartbreaking, but it also gives the reader closure. The ending fit the rest of the story well and was really satisfying. The ending is very sad, but also wonderful. The whole book is dark and just a little creepy so it fit the rest of the story.

Do you recommend this book? Yes

Language PG-13
Sexual Content PG-13
Violence PG-13
Drug and Alcohol Use G

Review by Megan K, Student, Cyprus High School
Rating: ★★★★½ (4.5 stars)
Interest Level: Young Adult

Silent Alarm
Written by Jennifer Banash
G. P. Putnam’s Sons
297 pages
Release Date: March 10, 2015

Tags:
, , , , , , ,

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Scroll to Top